aakankshaF, aartiK, aasthaD, aayush.gang, abiM, aditiK, aishwariyaG, Alan.fly, alishaR, amritaSh,angelaRod, anjuM, anishaA, annabelleF, anupaK, anushkaK, aparajitaG, aparnaA, archanaB, archieJ, arshiaK, arzooH, ayushiU,
barkhaS, beenaJ, biniS, bosco,
candiceC, carl, chandaniJ, chandniC, chelseaR, chong, christabelleR, christieDC, christineF,
darshiS, deekshaB, dishaK, diyaM,
fayannD, Feliu, fleurD,
gautamiG, Gordon,
insiyaR, ishitaK,
jasmineB, johnQ, judeA, jyotsnaM,
kalindiR, kanakS, karenF, karenMont, karishmaH, kateC, khushbooA, kimM,
lalitaT, leahU, lexleyP, lionelF, lorraineG, lynetteD,
madhuwantiG, maherraK, mallikaK, maneeshaP,manishPar, maryA, mayuri, meetaT, meghanaG, melliotaA, mrudutaC,
namitaF, nanditaM, naomiS, nehaJ, neharikaS, nenitaS, nikitaDC, ninettePer,
parthiviM, payalS, payalV, pearlDS2, petalG, pervinS, poojaKr, prachiSha, prachiSan, pranjaliK, prernaMak, priyaB, priyankaR, pruthaS, pujaG,
rachelC, rachitaD, radhikaA, radhikaS, rakheeP, rashiP, rashmiR, rashmitaS, rashnaI, rasikaV, reemaPr, rheaC, rheaD, riddhiK, royP, ruhiM,
safaP, salilG, saloniB, sanchiA, sanket, sanyaS, sarithaV, savioCar, shaniyaK, shanisseDM, shantalC, sharonSi, shilpaS, shireenL, shivaniS, shreyansiS, shrutiW, shyamaB, siddhiA, simmiH, simoneP, smitaJ, smritiA, smritiJ, sohiniM, sonalGop, soniaJ, srishtiJ, sudhaP, sujataA,sujataS, supriyaCo, supriyaK, surbhiK, suzanneDC,
tanazN, tanviJ, TB 16, Tejashree, tomK, toshitaS,
uddipanaK, urvijaG,
vabriena, vaishaliJ, varadaS, viditaS, vrushaliK,
xeniaA, yaminiJ, yashuU, yvetteG,
zaitoonE, zaverS, zeniaA, zomieI,
My dear
Thanks for your mail and more wondertimes to you…
I have already sent you two stories about the Malhar mascot Puddles as well as another story about Poodles.
And I am sure you have learnt important lessons from these stories.
I thought you might like to hear the story of Paddles too!
As ducks go Paddles was an ordinary duck and maybe one would not notice him or take prize winning pictures of him.
No flamboyant splash of colours, no mighty spread of wings as he flew the skies over continents on migration flights.
And his “quack” was quite like a thousand “quacks” one might hear from ducks around.
Paddles was just a duck.
“Just a duck”? Not really like that.
Paddles was a duck who knew who he was, what he could do and what he was meant for.
And he was peaceful and happy being that.
It was easier for him when he was on the lake. The waters of the lake were gentle and calm. All he had to do was paddle his way towards where he wanted to be going. And if he just wanted to stay where he was on that lake he stopped paddling and comfortably enjoyed just being there swishing around merrily and bobbing his head in and out of the water.
Paddles knew what he had to do on a lake.
A river, however, was different. A river was restless and it had its own current and flow. He had to make a greater effort to paddle his way towards where he wanted to go or the river would take him to where he might not want to be going. Rivers had their own journeys and destinations. And they were not bothered by what was floating on them. Rivers were only affected by the beds they were on. The rushed forward or gently flowed depending on whether they were coming down mountain slopes or gliding serenely on the plains.
So Paddles knew he had to adjust all the time to whether he was on a lake or in a river.
“Adjusting” here did not mean helplessly resigning oneself. It meant actively connecting with and making the best use of the circumstances one found oneself in.
His little lesson for us is: whether you are on a lake or in a river,
paddle according to where you want to go and where you want to be.
Quite often we do not have control over our circumstances.
They affect us, surely, but we must not let them have power over us.
“Going with the flow is OK” unless you want to be going somewhere else!
Your paddling makes that possible for you.
Take care… and paddle your way joyfully through the lakes and rivers of your own life!
Love, Terry